Method of making columns



Nov. 7, 1961 G. L. THIRY 3, 07,2

METHOD OF MAKING COLUMNS Original Filed Oct. 6. 1954 INVENTOR. 6: 07:75L. Thby Fi 3 W 1W WZtar-n e ilnited States Patent 3,007,232 METHOD OFMAKING COLUMNS George L. Thiry, South Milwaukee, Wis., assignor toMcGraw-Edison Company, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of DelawareContinuation of application Ser. No. 460,725, Oct. 6, I 1954. Thisapplication Sept. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 759,380

1 Claim. (Cl. 29-455) This invention relates to metallic structures andin particular to a method of constructing structural units which supportand embrace electrical equipment in substations and similar structures.

This specification is a continuation of application, Ser. No. 460,725,filed October 6, 1954, now abandoned.

Heretofore, the electrical industry devoted little attention to reducingthe eiiort required to design and erect substations. Accordingly, whenbuilding a new substation was proposed, the practice was to ascertainthe nature of electrical equipment to be installed and after determiningthe weight and location of the equipment and giving consideration tofuture expansion, design proceeded on the basis of giving individualtreatment to each substation contemplated. Consequently, it wasnecessary to dedicate the efiorts of highly skilled engineeringpersonnel to every phase of the design including laying out andcalculating the stresses in the concrete foundations, calculating thestrength and proportions of every steel component and finally reducingthe entire project to rough form which could be turned over to thoseskilled in supplying details to the drawings.

Obviously, monopolizing the time of highly trained designers is costlyenough but the situation was aggravated by requiring the efforts ofdetail draftsman, for long periods of time, who would refine thedrawings to assure that the various parts fit properly into the struc-'ture when delivered for erection. All of this is time consuming andobviously costly because the entire process has to be repeated in thecase of each substation constructed, the earlier work being discardedbecause of its inapplicability to the new job at hand. a

Hence, the conventional methods, outlined above, for designing anderecting substations are readily seen to be very uneconomical. This isespecially apparent when it is appreciated that there need be littledifference in steelwork for substations where there are wide difierencesin the size, rating and number of pieces of electrical equipment whichthey may incorporate. Expressed in another way, it appears thatconventional substation design procedure deserves reappraisal todetermine the possibility of materially reducing the amount ofengineering and mechanical effort expended on each substation bystandardizing at least certain basic components of the steelwork so thatdesigners need not start from the very beginning to calculate thestrength, size, and configuration of each piece of steel.

The invention discussed herein otters a solution to the above notedproblems by teaching amethod of design which results in a structurehaving novel characteristics ice and which structure may be convenientlyerected by taking advantage of these novel characteristics.

In general terms, the invention contemplates standardizing the shapes ofvarious steel members which comprise the columns and trusses ofsubstation structures and then integrating them to form columns andtrusses having dimensional and strength characteristics suitable to therating of the particular substation which it is proposed to build. Aunique characteristic of the invention takes the dorm of a novel way ofidentifying just exactly where each component of the structure must bejoined to another, this being done without use of measuring devices bythe craftsman assembling the structure.

. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide structuralcomponents which are adaptable to assembly into larger units havingpredetermined strength characteristies.

, Another object is to enable manufacture of the components in aproperly equipped factory and shipment therefrom to the place where asubstation is to be erected in a form requiring minimum shipping space.

A further object is to endow the components with properties which maketheir proper interconnection during assembly largely self evident sothat a substation may be erected with speed and convenience notheretofore known.

Another object of this invention is to provide a substation structurewhich may be easily expanded after completion for the purpose ofaccommodating electrical load growth.

Other objects will appear by implication or explicitly throughout thefollowing specification.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of one form of structure embodying theinvention;

FIG. 2 represents a fragment broken out of an integrated structure suchas that illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 represents in another form a fragment broken out of an integratedstructure such as that illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates use of gage lines in the foundation layout of astructure embodying the invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates another use of gage lines in practicing theinvention.

Refer now to FIG. 1 where a structure of steel or other metal is shownin a form frequently employed in electric substations although much ofthe equipment generally used therewith has been omitted to avoidconfusion.

The integrated structure illustrated includes two laterally spacedvertical columns 1 having rectangular cross section, although it may betriangular or any other conformation.

These members are cross connected by horizontal truss assemblies, theupper being indicated generally by numeral 2 and the lower beingindicated by numeral 3.

Each of the vertical columns is shown supported on a concrete foundation4 which is usually deeply embedded in the ground to assure stability.

' As an example of how electrical equipment may be attached to thestructure three fuse cutouts 7 are shown supported on the lower truss 3by bolts (not shown) or any well known means. Of course, it will beunderstood by those familiar with substations that switches, reclosers,lightning arresters, insulators and other equipment may be arrangedabout either lower truss 3 or upper truss 2 according to the demands ofa particular substation. Also, almost invariably some piece of majorequipment such as a voltage regulator or transformer will be set atground level underneath truss 3 and between columns 1 although suchequipment is omitted because it would not aid in describing theinvention. 7

Looking at the steelwork with greater attention to details, it will benoted that vertical columns 1 comprise long galvanized angle irons 8designated by the term chord angles because of their angular crosssection. These chord angles 8 are arranged to form the corners of acolumn 1 which may be square in cross section or rectangular where thecorners are disposed as in FIG. 4. Each chord angle 8 is welded to afoot plate 9 which is nothing more than an iron plate for distributingthe bearing stress over the surface of concrete foundation 4. Of course,the plate 9 and chord 8 are galvanized after being welded together sothat they will not rust when installed.

Each chord 8 is shown enlarged in FIG. 2 for the purpose of making clearhow the steel is perforated at regular intervals with a series ofrecurring hole groups consisting in three consecutive round holes 12 anda fourth square index hole 13 in alignment with the round holes. A threeinch spacing of the holes has been found satisfactory in practice andwhere spacing of this dimension is used it is evident that every squarehole, which means every fourth hole, actually designates one lineal footalong the angle iron. Obviously, the index holes 13 are not limited to asquare configuration, but they may assume any shape which allowssufficient bearing area around it for proper seating of a bolt such as24. The corner angles 16 forming the upper truss 2 and the corner angles17 of lower truss 3 are also perforated at three inch intervals althoughthis detail is proportionately small so that it is not visible inFIG. 1. The regularly spaced holes in angles 16 and 17 are used tolocate equipment such as cutouts 7 without having to drill any holesduring erection. Because of its significance with respect to theinvention, however, the function of the holes 12 and indexes 13 will beexplained more fully hereinafter.

The method of laying out and designing the substation steelwork astaught by this disclosure departs so radically from conventionalpractice that it is believed advisable to discuss certain fundamentalsbefore proceeding further. An important distinction between old designpractice and the teachings of the instant disclosure lies in thisinvention using what are called gage lines 20 as the datum lines onwhich are based all other dimensions in the structural unit. Forunderstanding their significance refer to FIG. 4 where two pairs ofparallel gage lines 20 are spaced by dimensions A and D to form a basicrectangle having corners lying between the legs of chord angle iron 8.These gage lines 20 are extended through the legs of chords 8 and theythereby establish in the chord a line on which holes 12 and 13 arepunched. Hence, it can be seen that the basic rectangle defined by lines20 may remain the same dimensionally regardless of the leg size ofangles 8' and, consequently, the span across the rows of holes inadjacent chords 8' will remain the same since all holes are punched ongage lines 20. This concept will be explained more fully a fewparagraphs later With respect to FIG. 5, but for the present it ismerely necessary to understand that the gage lines 20 remain the samefor a variety of structural unit designs although the size of angles 8may increase or decrease within reasonable limits.

In conventional design the dimensions for the unitary columns 1 andtrusses 2 would be based on a rectangle formed by connecting the outerlimits of the angle irons together. Specifically, with reference to FIG.4, the customary procedure is to define a dimensioning rectangle byconnecting the apexes of angles 8' with pairs of lines running parallelto line 20. Since the chord angle 3 apexes set the boundaries of thebasic rectangle and since the holes 12 and 13 would be drilledconventionally with respect to the margins of the angles instead of withrespect to gage lines like 20, it is obvious that all holes in the rowscomprising 12 and 13 would have to be relocated for every substation ofslightly different load capacity. This starts a chain reaction under theold practice which leads to changing the size and hole spacing in eachmember throughout the structure.

Consequently, in prior practice standardization of column and trussdesign was all but impossible because wherever it was intended to designa truss similar to an old one, except for using angle irons having Widerlegs, the size of the base rectangle, and accordingly, all otherdimensions had to be recomputed. This practice played its part incausing the tremendous wasted effort expended in relocating punchedholes and reproportioning all of the steel components referred to at thebeginning of this specification.

According to this invention, much design elfort is conserved byestablishing column 1 and truss 2 dimensions about datum or gage lines20 such as illustrated in FIG. 4. Note here that the gage lines 20 arespaced in all planes parallel and perpendicular to the legs of chords 8'and that they intersect to form the corner of a rectangle between thelegs of each chord angle 8'. Further, all of the holes 12 and 13 in thechord angles 8' are punched along gage lines 20. Hence, it is seen thatthe cross sectional or leg size of the chord angles 8 may be increasedor decreased without abandoning the same gage lines as were used todesign a column of a first predetermined strength.

FIG. 5 more clearly demonstrates the independence of the angle iron sizewhen the gage line system is employed. Here three angle irons 81, 82,and 83 are arranged side by side and each is perforated with respectiveholes 21, 22, and 23 lying on the intersecting gage lines 20'. Note howthe gage lines 20' remain the same irrespective of the leg sizes of theangle irons. This clearly demonstrates that when the size of a gage linerectangle is established as by the lines 20 in FIG. 4, the gage ordimension between parallel gage lines is fixed regardless of the size ofthe angle irons selected to form chords 8'.

The advantages of the gage line system are observed where it is desiredto expand or add a column such as 1 of FIG. 1 by juxtaposing anothercolumn to it. Where the existing column had chord angles with large,thick legs like 81 of FIG. 5 and the added load to be accommodatedrequires chord angles having the size of 83 of FIG. 5, the flat legs ofthe angles will lie against each other with their holes 12 and 13 inalignment regardless of the size of the angle iron. By contrast, wherecustomary prior art dimensioning techniques are used, that is, wherecolumn dimensions are taken from the faces of the angles, the holes arelocated in the chord angles with respect to the margins of the legs, andtherefore, the holes in angles of different sizes will not line up.

Although certain advantages to using a system employing gage lines 20-have been explained with respect to locating chord angles such as 8 and8' most conveniently, the gage lines have even greater significance inenabling interchangeability and standardization of other members of thesubstation as will now be explained.

Refer to FIG. 2 which shows two chord angles 8 laterally spaced fromeach other with their respective bolt holes lying in rows coincidentwith gage lines 20 a distance apart designated by the dimension A. Tomake the example more, concrete, it may be assumed that dimension Aequals 24 inches. As explained hereinbefore, the size of the chordangles 8 themselves is insignificant to a large extent because the gagedimension A pertains only to the spacing of the rows of holes in spacedapart chord angles 8. Accordingly, 8 may represent a 1 inch angle or a 3inch angle iron even though A remains equal to 24 inches.

Note that vertical chords 8 are bolted together at 214 through themedium of what may be termed lacing vangles in the form of horizontalangle irons 2.5 and diagonal angle irons 216. The lateral spacing ofbolts 24- in angles 25 is, of course, equal to the gage dimension A, orin this example, 24 inches. This is true regardless of the leg size ofeither the chords 8' or horizontal members 25. Because variations in thesize of the angles are immaterial, it should be apparent that the samecross member 25 could be used where chords 8 have different widths orvastly difierent thickness dependent upon the stress which the column isexpected to withstand. Hence, it can be seen that the gage line systemenables mass production and stacking of pieces such as 25 because theywill fit any column where A equals 24; and, it should not requireexplanation to those versed in the art that substations of variousratings may use the same gage dimension of M inches.

As an incidental fact, it is of interest to note that in practice a codenumber 2400 would be given to angle member 25, FIG. 2, the first twodigits, 24, indicating that the gage A equals twenty four inches and thelast two, 00, indicating that both ends of angle 2.5 are in the samehorizontal plane. Data such as this, when compiled in chart form, withdata concerning other pieces, enables selection of members for designand erection of a substation directly from the chart.

Advantage is also taken of the gage lines 20 in proportioning diagonallacing angles 26 as well as in identifying the character of angle 26 bymeans of a coding system such as that alluded to above. Abiding by theconcrete example used in the last paragraph where the gage dimension Aequals twenty four inches and where horizontal member 25 is called a2400, the diagonal lacing angle 26 used in the combination is designatedby the code number 1824. In this number, the last two digits, 24,represent the gage dimension A and the first two digits, 18, indicatethat the angle iron 26 rises diagonally upwardly a distance of 18 inchesalong the chord angles 8. Since generally, holes 12 are spaced at 3inches, this means diagonal 2 6 rises six holes along chord 8 in FIG. 2.

There is no inconsistency in placing 24, the gage dimension, after 18when selecting the code number 1824 for number 26 in FIG. 2. because, asillustrated in FIG. 3, the same diagonal member 26 can be used where thegage dimension C equals 18 inches and a rise of eight holes or 24 inchesis permissible along chord angle 8. Of course, in FIG. 3 horizontallacing angle 27 would be designated by 1800 because it is perforated toalign with gage lines spaced eighteen inches part laterally. Hence, theaforegoing paragraph exemplifies in some measure how design flexibilitymay be attained under the gage line system through using membersperforated according to gage lines and further demonstrates the economyeffected through mass producing and storing identical parts. Moreover,it should be remembered that diagonal lacing angles 26 may have anythickness without sacrificing the advantage of the gage line system.

Now that the rudiments have been discussed for preparing the steelmembers comprising columns 1 and truss units 2 and 3 in accordance withthe gage line system, the assembly of these members will be explained.First, however, it should be appreciated that a steel structure builtaccording to this disclosure is not a prefabricated structure in thetrue sense of the word because the structural components making up thetrusses and columns are merely cut to length, the holes punched and thesteel galvanized in the shop. No pre-assembly of the steel is necessarybefore shipment to the site of the proposed substation, an objectivebeing to minimize shipping volume.

Assembly of the major steel units such as the columns 1 or trusses 2 and3 is facilitated at the site of erection by'reason of the steel chords 8having holes 12 and 13 punched therein at regular intervals as explainedbefore. Consequently, no on-the-job drilling is necessary because thelacing members 25 and 26 are also punched and by means of bolts 24, theyare easily fastened to chords 8. When columns 1 are in place in uprightposition on concrete foundations 4, they may be tied together by crossWise angle irons 16 and 17 with or without gusset plates 18.

Fastening the various members together faciliated by using the indexhole 13 as a sighting hole to establish the proper position for each newsteel member being assembled. For example, if columns 1 are standing inspaced relation as in FIG. 1 and it is desired to install a cross chordangle 17, it is merely necessary to count the number of holes 12 fromone end or another of the chord 8 and connect 17 thereto as the assemblysketches indicate. Of course, punched holes 12 may be very easilycounted by fours because every fourth index hole 13 is self identifyingby reason of it being square or of some other distinctive configuration.After one end of 17 is bolted to the chord 8 the location of the otherend may be established easily by sighting \m'th respect to an identifiedhole 13. Hence, it is never necessary to count more than three holes,one at a time, because location of a steel member can be proximatedbetween index holes 13 and located accurately by counting to thesignificant round hole 12. Using the identifying feature avoids makingon-the-job measurements and enables rapid erection of a substation.

The explanation in the preceding paragraph is exemplary of the ease inwhich the structure of FIG. 1 may be assembled with respect to memberslying in a single plane, but those versed in the art will immediatelycomprehend how the index hole 13 may be used to advantage whenconstructing in any plane. Moreover, the combination of featuresincluding regularly spaced holes 12,

index hole 13 and the inherent convenience of developing the structureabout basic gage lines like 20 facilitates original erection and laterexpansion of the structure through adding columns like 1 or trusses like2 and 3 regardless of whether the angle irons are of the same size asthose in the original structure. Further, it is to be understood thatthe principles discussed with reference to vertical columns 1 applyequally well to trusses such as 2 ordinarily lying in a horizontalplane.

Although the terms angle irons and substations have been used throughoutthe specification, it should be understood that the invention is notlimited to any specific material or any specific type of structure butit is limited only by the scope of the following claim:

In the method of constructing a plurality of various size polygon crosssection substation superstructure columns out of standard parts, thesteps of providing a plurality of various sized elongate chord anglemembers, forming along each of the legs of said chord angle members aplurality of holes equally spaced apart longitudinally thereof andcontouring periodically recurring holes to have one configuration andthe remaining holes to have a second configuration, locating chord anglemembers of the same size at each corner of the polygon defining eachcolumn so that along any given side of each polygon said holes in thechord angle member at one end of each polygon side are a constantdistance predetermined for each size column from the holes in the chordangle member at the opposite end of said polygon side regardless of thesize of said angle members, said predetermined distance beingdeterminative of the size of each column, providing a plurality oflacing members, forming in each lacing member a pair of holes spacedapart longitudinally thereof a distance equal to the hypotenuse of aright triangle having as the legs thereof said predetermined distanceand the distance between a number of said holes in said chord anglemembers predetermined for each size column, the distance between holesin each lacing member being equidistant so that the same lacing membersmay be used for different sized columns by changing said predeterminednumber of holes, interconnecting said chord angle members with saidlacing members fastened at said holes While using said dissimilarlycontoured holes to facilitate positioning of said lacing members so thatone end of each lacing member is advanced said predetermined number ofholes longitudinally of one of said legs relative to the other end ofsaid lacing member, whereby the same lacing members can be used withdifferent size chord angle members to construct the same size column andby using a number of holes different from said predetermined number ofholes the same lacing members and chord angle members can be used toconstruct various size columns.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,616,931 Thomas Feb. 8, 1927 1,917,764 Howie July 11, 1933 2,284,898Hartman June 2, 1942 2,632,533 MacKenzie Mar. 24, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS519,818 Belgium May 30, 1953

